How the Recession’s Affecting Immigration

Brookings Institute
November 23, 2009

With U.S. unemployment at an all-time 26-year high, Americans will be feeling the economic downturn for quite some time.

Immigration experts are seeing global signs of the recession in major shifts in U.S. immigration trends, especially at the high and low ends of the skills spectrum.

Here are the most significant changes.

You know the U.S. is in a recession when…

Many Mexicans are now sending money to relatives in the United States.

In 2007, Mexicans living in the U.S. sent about $26 billion to relatives living in Mexico.

The amount of remittances dropped to $25 billion in 2008, the first decline since the Central Bank of Mexico started keeping track 14 years ago.

In the first nine months of 2009, the Bank reports that only $16.4 billion has been sent south, a 13 percent decline from 2008.

Now, there are some signs of a high increase in “reverse remittances,â€